Hakalau siren is scheduled for test Thursday
Hawaii County Civil Defense will test the Hakalau emergency siren Thursday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Residents of North Hilo might hear the siren for 30 seconds during that period.
Technicians will gather data to determine how the siren is working.
The siren, broken in a 2011 car accident, was recently replaced with an upgraded one. The new siren has a radius of a half-mile, solar backup power and a pole with a lifetime warranty against termites and rot.
Hawaii island residents may call Civil Defense at 935-0031 with questions or concerns regarding this test.
Kona Judiciary Complex could open in 2019
The long-anticipated, $90 million Kona Judiciary Complex won’t be ready any time soon.
Honolulu-based Architects Hawaii Ltd. will begin the architectural, engineering and design work in January, with a June 2015 completion date, Marsha Kitagawa, courts spokeswoman, told West Hawaii Today. Then it will take about eight months to put the project out to bid, acquire necessary permits and award and negotiate a contract, Kitagawa said Thursday.
Construction should begin in March 2016 and wrap up by August 2018.
The expected opening date: March 2019.
A preliminary schedule announced in March had a 2017 opening date.
The complex will accommodate seven full-time judges and 220 employees on state land at Ane Keohokalole Highway and Kealakehe Parkway, near the West Hawaii Civic Center.
"It’s a reality coming through after so many years," remarked West Hawaii Bar Association President Robert Kim. "The bottom line is, we will have a center within the decade."
